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Gifu Prefecture
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is a prefecture located in the Chubu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu. Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendo. During the Sengoku period, many people referred to Gifu by saying, "control Gifu and you control Japan."
land area that makes up modern-day Gifu became part of the Yamato Court around the middle of the fourth century.
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is a prefecture located in the Chubu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu. Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendo. During the Sengoku period, many people referred to Gifu by saying, "control Gifu and you control Japan."
History
The land area that makes up modern-day Gifu became part of the Yamato Court around the middle of the fourth century. Because it is in the middle of the island of Honshu, it has been the site of many decisive battles throughout Japan's history, the oldest major one being the Jinshin War in 672, which led to the establishment of Emperor Temmu as the 40th emperor of Japan.
The land area of Gifu Prefecture consists of the old provinces of Hida and Mino, as well as smaller parts of Echizen and Shinano. The name of the prefecture derives from its capital city, Gifu, which was named by Oda Nobunaga during his campaign to unify all of Japan in 1567. The first character used comes from Qishan (??), a legendary mountain from which most of China was unified, whereas the second character comes from Qufu (??), the birthplace of Confucius. Nobunaga chose those characters because he wanted to unify all of Japan and he wanted to be viewed as a great mind.
Historically, the prefecture served as the center of swordmaking in all of Japan, with Seki being known for making the best swords in Japan. More recently, its strengths have been in fashion (primarily in the city of Gifu) and aerospace engineering (Kakamigahara).
On October 28, 1891, the present-day city of Motosu was the epicenter for the Mino-Owari Earthquake, the largest earthquake to ever hit Japan. The earthquake, estimated at 8.0 earthquake, left a huge cleft in the ground that can still be seen today.
Geography
One of the few landlocked prefectures in Japan, Gifu Prefecture shares borders with seven other prefectures: Aichi, Fukui, Ishikawa, Mie, Nagano, Shiga and Toyama Prefectures. Japan's postal codes all start with a three-digit number, ranging from 001 to 999. Part of Gifu has the 500 prefix, giving further proof of its location in the center of Japan.
Regions
Gifu Prefecture has five unofficial regions, which allows local municipalities to work together to promote the surrounding area. The five regions are Seino, Gifu, Chuno, Tono and Hida. The borders of the regions are loosely defined, but they are usually delineated among major cities.
Topography
The northern Hida region is dominated by tall mountains, including parts of the Japanese Alps. The southern Mino region is mostly made up of parts of the fertile Nobi Plain, a vast plains area with arable soil. Most of the prefecture's population resides in the southern part of the prefecture, near the designated city of Nagoya.
The mountainous Hida region contains both the Hida Mountains,which are referred to as the "Northern Alps," and the Kiso Mountains, which are known as the "Central Alps" in Japan. The Ryohaku Mountains are also located in the Hida region. Other major ranges include the Ibuki Mountains and the Yoro Mountains.
Much of the Mino region is made up of the alluvial plain of the Kiso Three Rivers, which are the Ibi River, Kiso River and Nagara River. The source for all three rivers is located in Nagano Prefecture and they eventually run through Aichi and Mie prefectures before emptying into Ise Bay. Other major rivers in the prefecture include the Jinzu, Takahara, Sho, Shonai, Yahagi and Itoshiro rivers.
Weather
Because the Mino region is surrounded by low mountains, the temperature fluctuates through the year, from hot summers to cold winters. The eastern city of Tajimi, for example, generally records the hottest temperature throughout all of Japan each year and, on August 16, 2007, it set the record for hottest recorded day in Japan's history—40.9 degrees Celsius. The summers are made hotter because the landlocked area becomes a heat island, which is further worsened when hot, dry foehn winds blow over the Ibuki Mountains out of the Kansai region. The Hida region, with its higher elevation, is generally cooler than the Mino region, though there are sometimes extremely hot days there, as well. Shokawa-cho, part of the city of Takayama, is located up in the mountains and its location has led it to be called the coldest inhabited place on Honshu.
Economy
Gifu's economy includes many traditional industries such as paper-making and agriculture, but it is dominated by manufacturing industries extending from the Nagoya area, such as aerospace and automotive industry. A major characteristic of Gifu's industry is a wealth of small component manufacturers, such as precision machining, die and mold making, and plastic forming.
Traditional industries
The Mino region has long been known for its high-quality paper called Mino washi, which is stronger and thinner than most other papers in Japan and was used by the Japanese military during World War II. Other paper-based industries include Gifu Lanterns and Gifu Umbrellas, which are made in the capital city. Other traditional goods include Mino-yaki pottery (in Tajimi, Toki and Mizunami), cutlery (in Seki) and lacquerware (in Takayama).
Because Gifu has vast, arable plains, agriculture is also a large industry. The forests to the north also provide plenty of source material for wood-working (which includes the viewing boats used in cormorant fishing). The clear-flowing rivers are also often used to brew sake.
Modern industries
Kakamigahara has a large role in the prefecture's modern industries. It boasts large aerospace facilities of both Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, as well as many metalworking and manufacturing companies.
Information technology (IT) is gaining a foothold in the prefecture with both Softopia Japan in Ogaki and VR Techno Japan (part of Techno Plaza) in Kakamigahara. The capital city of Gifu, located between Ogaki and Kakamigahara, is also working to strengthen its IT fields, too.
Tourism
Gifu has many popular tourist attractions, bringing visitors to all parts of the prefecture. The most popular places are Gifu, Gero, Shirakawa and Takayama. Gifu is famous for cormorant fishing, which has a history of over 1,300 years, as for being a long-term residence of both Oda Nobunaga and Saito Dosan. Gero is known for its relaxing hot springs, which attract visitors throughout the year. Shirakawa's historic villages are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Takayama is famous for retaining its original appearance and is often referred to as Little Kyoto.
In addition to international tourists, Gifu also plays host to many international events. The World Event and Convention Complex Gifu is available for many types of events. Other areas of Gifu, too, bring international events, such as in 2005 when the World Rowing Championships were held in the city of Kaizu.
Science
The Kamioka area of the city of Hida is home to the Super-Kamiokande and KamLAND experiments, neutrino and antineutrino observatories, respectively. Located underground in Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co.'s Mozumi Mine, the detector searches for neutrinos (and antineutrinos) from the high atmosphere, the sun and supernovae, and for KamLAND, from regional nuclear reactors. The Super-Kamiokande consists of a cylindrical stainless steel tank that is tall and in diameter holding 50,000 tons of ultra-pure water. Some of the 11,146 photomultiplier tubes are on display at the in Tokyo. The same facility also hosts CLIO, a prototype detector for gravitational waves.
Demographics
As of September 1, 2007, the prefecture's population is 2,101,969, with approximately 1.8 million people living in the cities and the rest living in towns and villages. The percentage of male and female residents is 48.4% and 51.6%, respectively. 14.4% of the population is no more than 14 years old, with 22.1% of the population being at least 65 years old.
According to Japan's census, the country's center of population is located in Gifu Prefecture. In 2000, it was located in the former town of Mugi, which has since merged with Seki. In the most reason census in 2005, the center of population has moved slightly more to the east, but is still located within Gifu.
Education
Prefectural symbols
Gifu's symbol comes from the first character gi of its Japanese name, written in a stylized script, surrounded by a circle, which represents the peace and harmony of the prefectural citizen. It was chosen by contest in 1932.
The prefectural logo (see right) expands from the red dot into the center to the outer two lines and, finally, the yellow plain. This symbol was chosen in 1991 for the development and expansion of the prefecture.
The prefecture also has two plants (the milk vetch and the Japanese yew) and two animals (the snow grouse and the ayu) as symbols. The milk vetch was chosen in 1954, because the prefecture is well known for its abundance of blooming milk vetch each spring. The yew was chosen in 1966, because it is the tree used to make ornamental sceptors for the emperor, many of which came from the Hida district. The snow grouse was chosen in 1961, as the birds live up in the Japanese alps and is a nationally-protected species. Ayu were chosen in 1989, because the fish is found in many prefectural rivers and is prized for its sweet taste.
Municipalities
All of the cities, towns, villages and districts of Gifu Prefecture are listed below
Cities
Twenty-one cities are located in Gifu Prefecture:
Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each district:
- Anpachi
- Godo
- Wanouchi
- Sekigahara
- Tarui
- Ginan
- Kasamatsu
- Ibigawa
- Ikeda
- Ono
- Hichiso
- Higashishirakawa
- Kawabe
- Sakahogi
- Shirakawa
- Tomika
- Yaotsu
- Mitake
- Kitagata
- Shirakawa
- Yoro
Mergers
External links
- . National Archives of Japan.
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